Argentina is the word. Argentina is the World. Here is the place for die-hard Argentina fans to follow the Albiceleste in every possible way!
Videos, pictures, the latest scores, opinion, gossip, transfer rumours, a variety of sports and activities and anything that involves sports and Argentina will be our obsession.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

MESSI and HIGUAIN press conference highlights

Continuing with the numerical order, we have a treat for you today. It's number 9 and number 10!

Gonzalo HIGUAIN and Lionel MESSI.

Here you have what they just said:

Lionel MESSI

On yesterday's match:

"We didn't have much luck with our finishing. But at least we created many chances. It was important to start with a win. We will improve as the tournament progresses".

"Their goalkeeper (Vincent ENYEAMA) had a great game. All credit should go to him"

"Our team had a good game. We found each other well playing up front. We had a lot of freedom to move around the pitch depending on what the play asked from us. We have a lot of great forwards and we have to make the most out of that strong asset we have".

On the pitch conditions (the reporter pointed that the grass was really short and it was wet):

"I like to play with a very short grass and a humid pitch. I'm used to it. It's faster, but we are still trying to get used to the ball".

On whether Argentina relies too much on what he can do:

"This team does not depend on me. We've got many great players and they can change a game at any given moment. What I can tell you is that I need to be in touch with the ball to give my best to the team".

"Yesterday I saw a lot of the ball thanks to MASCHERANO, VERON, DI MARIA and all my team-mates and I felt really happy".

On how he lived yesterday's match:

"I'm happy for how things worked out for me yesterday and because the team won. I lived so many difficult moments with our national team, especially in the World Cup Qualifiers when things were not working out for us. We couldn't play good matches. Today, I'm very happy".

On the importance of arriving early to South Africa:

"Since we arrived here, everything changed for us. The time we spent working here, helped us a lot. Slowly but surely this Argentina side will grow in confidence. We have a good margin to improve and we are going to do just that. We hope we can do it starting from our very next match. Nervousness and anxiety did play their part yesterday, so I hope they don't in our next match".

On whether Argentina are now a serious contender to the title:

"I think the candidates are the same we have been mentioning before the World Cup started. We made a good impression yesterday and we know who we are. We will take it one step at a time".

On whether he thought Nigeria could have equalised in the second half:

"In a match like yesterday's, you can never be entirely sure of winning. At any moment, your rivals could score, even if it's a fluky goal or a rebound. But I don't think we suffered that much yesterday. They had one clear scoring chance and we had like seven or eight. We should have finish off this match sooner".

On whether he watched a recording of yesterday's match:

"I haven't seen the match again yet. I haven't seen Greece v. South Korea either. We will surely do it starting tomorrow".

On whether South Korea are our main rivals in Group B:

"I think we are our main rivals. If we do the things we know how to do, with all due respect to the other teams in our Group, we should finish first and we should have no problems qualifying to the next round".

"Korea are a quick and organised team. If you let them have the ball and run at you, you could be in trouble".

On what Diego MARADONA said to him when he spoke to him before the second half started:

"To be honest, I don't remember exactly what he told me! (laughs). That's the truth! But anyway, Diego has always trusted me and he always gave me a lot of freedom. He is still doing that and he keeps giving us a lot of confidence".

On whether him and HIGUAIN have arguments about Barcelona and Real Madrid:

"Being here, we belong to our national team. We don't speak and we don't even think about Barcelona and/or Real Madrid. We only think about winning the World Cup".

On what kind of a manager Diego MARADONA is:

"Diego is always very close to the players. He is one of us in this group. He is always there for you. He's got a lot of experience and he has lived everything as a player. So he knows at all times what is going on and what we are going through. That's really comforting for us and it gives us confidence".

--------------------------------------------------

Gonzalo HIGUAIN

On yesterday's win over Nigeria:

"The important thing was to win. A World Cup is always difficult and it's even more when you have a strong rival like we had in Nigeria. The important thing was to create the chances we have created. Obviously, if we would have scored in most of them we would have killed the game earlier. We need to continue like this and keep working".

"I think that, of all the matches we've seen so far in this World Cup, we are the team which created more chances. Had we scored some of them we would be talking about a very different thing here".

"It was a tough match. We knew Nigeria were going to be strong and really good in the air. But Argentina knew how to overcome that and we won it."

On how he felt playing with two other forwards from the start:

"I felt comfortable yesterday. It's not just the three of us (Note: MESSI, TEVEZ and him). There are truly great forwards in this team and they can all play with us in attack at any time during the tournament."

On how he lives with the fact that he missed a few clear chances:

"It's true that every striker lives to score and lives from the goals he scores. But I feel no pressure. I feel more like a challenge. I'm obviously disappointed for not scoring, but the important thing is that we won".

On the importance of having Lionel MESSI on the team:

"We know how important MESSI is for us. Yesterday it was obvious for all to see. It's such a pleasure to play next to him. He sent me a couple of times to be one-on-one with the keeper. He always looked to pass me the ball. He takes pressure off you and he takes a few defenders off you when he is on the ball. We hope he continues like this for the benefit of all of us".

On whether he was able to enjoy yesterday's match or if he was just doing his job. And then this reporter, from Panama, asked him to say hello to the people of Panama!:

"Of course you enjoy being at the World Cup. With responsibilities, but you enjoy it. It's not a thing you can live everyday. Especially with the kind of team-mates I've got with me. And a 'hello' to the people of Panama (laughs)"

On what Diego told him after the match:

"Diego gave me strength when he spoke to me after the match. He is a true motivator. Honestly, it's a privilege to see him on the bench and for this to be his first World Cup as a manager, I see that he works well and some of that was evident yesterday".

20 comments:

Maxi Lopez
said...

Good job guys for the interviews.Did you enjoy Gabi Heinze yesterday? :) Forget about Heinze at Real Madrid. he was exposed because of Cannavaro. Please don't call him Kruger anuymore. Gabi Heinze has always been a monster and I've always been proud to be his fan #1! VAMOS EL GRINGOOOOO!

i heard veron is injured. it might be sick, but i hope this is true! at least a couple of games to allow pastore to step in and claim his spot.if veron continues he will single handedly destroy all hopes the team has...

Maxi Lopez: I'm pasting here a comment I just posted below the previous entry. Just in case you miss it. It's about HEINZE.

I stick to my guns regarding HEINZE and regarding how I think ZANETTI and CAMBIASSO should have been called up and regarding how I think Diego MILITO is the striker this team needs to play 90 minutes every match.

The fact that HEINZE scored a goal from a set-piece yesterday, doesn't make him an idol in my book.

Don't get me wrong, me and Felipe were among the supporters who celebrated the most when HEINZE scored!

You see...to me, our national team comes first. There will never be a player who I will consider more important than my national team.

I have said this many times, whether I hate the system we play, the players our manager picks (any manager, not just Diego) I will still want Argentina to win.

There are, however, many critics that hate MARADONA, or MESSI, or VERON, or even HEINZE and they are waiting for Argentina to collapse so they can rejoice afterwards.

I'm a person who will always admit if I'm proven wrong. I have to ego when it comes to that.

HEINZE scored a great goal yesterday and had a good game. That doesn't change my mind and I still don't like how he plays. And it still doesn't change the fact that I will support him all the way!

im with you mohd and its sad but veron injured is great for the team as pastore wont get a chance if veron is fit and i also think we wont win it all with veron playing.as for heinze i have always had him in my teams and he played well yeaterday and kept the stupid "rushes of blood to the head" to nil.Seba i know it will never happen but id like to see hig and milito upfront together.

Hey everybody, Im a big follower of this blog, I LOVE it, so thanks guys. My issue today is with everyone saying they like Pastore over Veron, now the good thing about Veron is that he is very experienced, which besides for vison of the field he's not likely to get a red card whice is critical.

hi Joe,veron is experienced yes but is to slow for this level and has been for a while just look at yeaterday when a poor nigeria gave him all the time and space any player could ever ask for and the result is their for all to see = looking out of his depth.veron day has long gone and i struggle to think when he has been good for the nt.theirs a saying "he plays like a rock and moves like one too"n.b im a veron fan and have no problem with him at all but as i said he not good enough international football.

Dan said,We are staying with a 3-3-4 or 3-4-3 formation for now. Tevez is essential. Don't fool yourself we need his pace, physical play, and all around ball skills. The man ran his ass off in the game. We suffered because Veron had a bad game. That happens sometimes. I would prefer Pastore. When you have to have Tevez cover for you in attack and Jonas cover for you in defense, they can't do their own jobs. I think Diego knows what he is doing. He is looking at Burdisso at left back, and at least he will understand more when he watches the game on tape. Don't be surprised to see a line up like this.

I wish someone asked Higuain what is the difference between playing alongside Messi and C. Ronaldo.

South Korea is dangerous, they are very energetic, their defence is quite solid and Park Ji-Sung is a world class player. We will need Mascherano to pick him up. It won't be an easy game, if we play 3-4-3 it will be too big a risk. Lee Chung-Yong can punish us down the wings.

Veron didnt have as bad a game as you ppl are suggesting.I havent seen pastore play so cant really know who will be better.Overall for me, there are two positions which require primary attention.Jonas as RB and Di Maria.Replace Jonas with Burdisso and Di Maria with Maxi.I know Di Maria is talented but he is young and maybe he is bit overwhelmed right now, he can be a very effective sub.

I agree with pablo.d and Mohd.VERON should be dropped as soon as possible. May be bring him on late for the hold up play to close the game. Knowing how stubborn DIEGO is though, i know this won't happen. But here is my thought:

VERON will not last 7 games. As the games go on, expect his performance to get even worse. After the next two games, each knock-out game will be tougher and can last longer. There is no doubt that a creative play-maker will be needed after 45 minute mark. (VERON actually gets tired after first half an hour) So it makes sense to give PASTORE the start in the next two games to get him over the first-world-cup anxiety period.(DI MARIA and HIGUAIN can be excused for their first game for this reason.)

It seems my criticism (filled with sarcasm) of Maradona's selection policy did not go down well with some of our friends. They even questioned whether Seba had the strength of character to admit his mistakes if proved wrong. I think Seba's fitting reply should settle the issue. Seba was absolutely right in saying that no player or coach is above the national team. We are not fans of any particular player or coach. We are proud fans of the Argentine National football team, though we may have personal likes and dislikes regarding particular players or coaches. But that is strictly based on footballing reasons. It is our love for the Albiceleste that unites us in this blog though we may be hailing from different nations. I am, and will always remain an ardent fan of the Albiceleste. Irrespective of whoever plays for Argentina, I want the team to win always, and whoever scores for Argentina (whether it is Heinze, Palermo, Veron or Garce), deserves to be cheered for and congratulated. And that is exactly what we all do when we watch the Argentine team in action. My opinions regarding a particular player is not based on the heroics in a single game, it is based on the performance over a period of time, and I guess that is exactly why Seba said that his opinion of Heinze will not change only on the basis of his brilliant goal against Nigeria. I don't mind if my favorite players (D.Milito, Zanetti, Cambiasso, Pastore, Banega etc) are not called up for the national team or not picked up in the starting 11, as long as it is based on footballing sense and reasoning. The selection or exclusion should not be based on personal favoritism or grudges or because someone appeared in the Coach's dream (Garce). If a coach does that, that means he is putting himself above the National team. And that is exactly why I have a problem with Maradona's selection policy. I still adore Maradona the player, the best footballer ever, who gave me immense happiness by lifting the '86 World cup. Having said all this, I will be the happiest man, if Maradona makes me look stupid and proves me wrong by lifting the 2010 FIFA world cup. When it comes to my passion for Argentine football, I consider the Argentine team much above my personal opinions. Vamos Argentina.

Hi u guys over, just wanna let u guys know that i'm a big argentina fan here in Bangkok Thailand, wish this world cup is our success & i'm fully support da team to be a champion of this worldcup, vamos argentina

The strategies should vary according to the opponents. Diego is a great player but I can't support him on his exclusion of Cambiaso and Zanetti. If someone still claims that Bolatti is better than Cambiasso and Ariel Garce than Zanetti, then I am sorry.

One more thing. The major position of discussion is the central midfiled- Veron. Is there any other option for us? Why did Diego include a 36 year old striker like Palermo who is not at all going to play in any matches? He could have compromised him with a midfileder like Aimar. If Aimar was there, the drought for a good midfilder would not have occured. He is already playing along with Di Maria and far better and fast than Veron Uncle.